1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a processing machine installation which includes a machine tool such as a machining center, a milling machine, a lathe, a grinding machine, a gear cutting machine and a electric discharge machine or a processing machine, such as a precision processing machine, a fine processing machine, an assembling machine, a picking machine and a laser beam processing machine which are used in the field of, for example production of semiconductors, biotechnologies, or medical industries.
2. Description of the Related Art
Processing machines such as a machine tool is required to remove heat generated in a heating body such as a the spindle head by a coolant supplied therethrough to reducing the thermal deformation thereof. Further, a processing machine is thermally deforms by the changes in the ambient temperature. The degree of the thermal deformation changes with the passage of time due to the changes in the ambient temperature, which further adversely effects on the accuracy of machining a workpiece. In order to prevent this, in a prior art, methods of dousing an oil on whole of a processing machine or disposing a processing machine in a thermostatic chamber. However, these methods require a large equipment and cost. In this connection, in a conventional thermostatic chamber, there is a temperature differences between higher and lower positions in the chamber. Further, chips which are generated from a process executed by the processing machine and stacked in the chamber or an operator entered the chamber will be a heat source. Therefore, it is not possible to realize a thermostatic chamber in the proper sense.
Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 59-183340 (the first prior art), Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. 48-27351 (the second prior art) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-203736 (the third prior art) disclose methods for solving these problems.
In the first prior art, a cover is provided for enclosing whole of a machine tool. An air conditioner maintains the air temperature within the cover to provide a thermostatic chamber.
The second prior art discloses an oil temperature controller which controls the temperature of a lubricating oil circulating through heating portions in a machine tool so that the oil temperature is synchronized with the temperature of a portion of the machine for example a base which does not generate a heat to reduce the thermal deformation of the machine.
In the third prior art, the air within a splashguard which encloses a substantial portion of a machine tool is stirred and replaced with the air outside of the splashguard to reduce the temperature difference between inside and outside of the splashguard.
According to the first prior art, a preparation room, for bring a tool and/or a workpiece into the cover, is not provided so that a door contact directly the outside ambient. When the door is opened, the temperature inside the cover is easily changed. Further, the thermostatic chamber of the first prior art is directed to maintain merely the temperature of the sir inside of the cover and is not directed to level the temperatures of portions of a machine tool. Therefore, the first prior art does not disclose a concept of leveling the temperatures of the portions of a machine by directing air to the machine so that the air is directed to the heat generating portions much more than the non-heat-generating portions on the more air flow is directed, although the first prior art disclose a configuration to supply a temperature controlled air into the chamber.
According to the third prior art, the lubricating oil is circulated through a machine tool to reduce the temperature differences between heat generating portions and non-heat-generating portions. However, portions apart from the lubricating oil passage is not cooled sufficiently. Therefore, the it is not possible to finely level the temperature of whole of the machine tool.
According to the third prior art, the temperature within the splashguard on the forward side of the column is uniformly controlled to the external temperature. However, the temperature on the rear side of the column is not controlled. Therefore, the temperature difference between the forward and rearward sides of the column changes with the passage of time. This will results in thermal deformation of the column. That is, the warpage in the column changes with the passage of time.
Further, the above-described prior arts do not disclose a feature for directing air flows with a various rates to portions of a machine tool to level the temperatures thereof.
The invention is directed to solve the prior art problems, and to provide a processing machine installation in which a cover enclose a processing machine to define a thermostatic chamber so that the air temperature in the chamber is controlled to a desired temperature to level the temperatures of portions of the processing machine.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a processing machine installation which is improved to prevent changes in the thermal deformation of the processing machine with the passage of time.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a processing machine installation which is improved to prevent the thermal deformation of a column of the processing machine on the basis of the temperature difference between the forward and rearward of the column.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a processing machine installation which can change the air temperature inside of an air conditioned room defined by a cover for enclosing the processing machine depending on the external temperature or the time and/or season.
According to the invention, there is provided a processing machine installation, comprising:
a processing machine having a tool for machining a workpiece, heat-generating potions and non-heat-generating portions;
a first cover for defining a air conditioned processing machine room around the processing machine;
a first air injector including a plurality of air outlet, provided in the first cover, for directing air to the respective portions of the processing machine, the air outlet being distributed depending on the amount of heat generated in the respective portions of the processing machine so that the air flow through the air outlet portions are adjusted to substantially level the temperature of the respective portions of the processing machine;
an air conditioner for controlling the temperature and/or flow rate of the air supplied to the air injector on the basis of the air temperature in the air conditioned processing machine room; and
the air temperature in the air conditioned processing machine room being controlled to a desired temperature.
In the invention, the processing machine a system which can machine a workpiece with the tool moving relative to the workpiece. In case of a machining center as an example, whole of the structure including a bed, a table, a column, a spindle head and a spindle. The tool may be moved relative to a workpiece in three orthogonal axes of X-, Y- and Z-axes and/or at least one axis of additional liner U-, V- and W-axes and rotational A-, B- and C-axes.
The first cover may include interior and exterior walls disposed apart from each other to define a space therebetween, the air outlets are defined in the interior wall, the air flowing from the air conditioner to the air outlets through the space between the interior and exterior walls. According to this feature, the air outlets can be easily distributed in the doubled-wall first cover so that the air flow directed to the heat-generating portion of the processing machine is larger than that directed to non-heat-generating portion. Therefore, the temperature of the respective portions of the processing machine is easily leveled. According to the prior art, the processing machine is disposed merely in a thermostatic room. On the other hand, in the present invention, the air is supplied to the air conditioned processing machine room so that so that the larger the heat generation, the more the air flow directed to the heat-generating portion of the processing machine. This feature improves the accuracy of machining.
Further, controlling separately the flow rate of the air supplied to the air conditioned processing machine room and the air conditioned workpiece stocker room allows the air temperature to be maintained appropriately in the air conditioned processing machine room and the air conditioned workpiece stocker room. Keeping the internal air pressure in the air conditioned processing machine room and the air conditioned workpiece stocker room prevent the outside air from entering the rooms.
Further, according to another feature of the invention, there is provided a processing machine installation, comprising:
a processing machine having a tool for machining a workpiece, heat-generating potions and non-heat-generating portions;
a first cover for defining a air conditioned processing machine room around the processing machine;
a splashguard for preventing chips generated during the process executed on the workpiece, the splashguard having a movable guard, and the splashguard defining a space for machining around the processing machine in the air conditioned processing machine room to prevent the outside air from entering the air conditioned processing machine room when the movable guard is opened;
a chip remover for drawing chips generated during the process executed on the workpiece to the outside of the air conditioned processing machine room with the air inside of the splashguard;
a workpiece stocker, disposed adjacent the processing machine, for storing a workpiece to be automatically changed with the workpiece mounted on the processing machine;
a second cover for defining a air conditioned workpiece stocker room around the workpiece stocker;
a first air injector including a plurality of air outlet, provided in the cover, for directing air to the respective portions of the processing machine, the air outlet being distributed depending on the amount of heat generated in the respective portions of the processing machine so that the air flow through the air outlet portions are adjusted to substantially level the temperature of the respective portions of the processing machine;
an air conditioner for controlling the temperature and/or flow rate of the air supplied to the air injector on the basis of the air temperature in the air conditioned processing machine room; and
the air temperature in the air conditioned processing machine room being controlled to a desired temperature.
Further, according to another feature of the invention, there is provided a processing machine installation, comprising:
a processing machine including a bed, a table, provided on the bed, for mounting a workpiece, a column provided on the bed behind the table and a spindle head, provided on the column, for rotationally supporting a spindle;
a splashguard for preventing chips generated during the process executed on the workpiece, the splashguard defining a space for machining around the processing machine;
a cover, provided on the rear side of the column, for defining a column rear side room; and
an air supplying apparatus for supplying air so that the air temperature in the machining room and the column rear side room is substantially equal.